


Clean Slated State

by Theonesthataregood



Category: Cyberpunk Red, Let's Play Cyberpunk Red - Polygon (Web Series), Polygon Cyberpunk Red
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25090525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theonesthataregood/pseuds/Theonesthataregood
Summary: Burgerchainz gets amnesia, and shenanigans ensue! Vang0 Bang0 has to help him while dealing with his own emotions, while Dasha goes on a journey to find out what happened and if they can reverse it.
Relationships: Dapper Dasha/ Charlie Coal, Vang0 Bang0/Burger Chainz
Kudos: 26





	1. Build A Quilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Burgerchainz: Hey guys! I was told to text you guys, so hi! :)  
>  Dapper Dasha: Hey, Burger. What’s going on?  
> Burgerchainz: Well I’m gonna be taking part in some sort of experiment, so I was told I could text you guys before it starts. I hope I don’t take longer to get back than I said I would.  
> Vang0 Bang0: Um burger you good my dude? I mean this experiment is nothing bad is it???  
> Burgerchainz: Well I don’t know. I’m in an empty room right now, and kind of cold. Also, I was kinda tied up. They only untied me so I could text you guys. But I don’t really mind. I’m excited to help out in the name of science! :D  
> Vang0 Bang0: Burger???? What are they gonna do to you?! What kind of science is this, anyway?  
> Burgerchainz: I don’t really know, I guess. Well now this guy is coming with a big needle and saying I have to wrap it up, the surgery is starting soon. To be honest, he looks kind of scary. I guess I’ll see you guys soon! :)  
> Dapper Dasha: Burger, what’s going on?  
> Dapper Dasha: Burger?  
> Dapper Dasha: Hold on, we’re coming. Hang in there.**

So, I’m doing this streaming thing with Dasha at her apartment. It’s pretty epic, if I do say so myself. I’m pretty good at Sixnite, so I make up for Dasha’s lameness. She’s not really into the whole video game thing, which I’ll never understand. I mean, she’s so good at investigating and fighting stuff. That what, like, 90% of video games is, anyway.  


Despite my awesomeness, I only have two people watching the stream.  


“Yes! Yet another kill! Vang0 Bang0!” I shout. Dasha doesn’t seem pleased.  


“Please keep it down, Vang0. Remember the neighbors.” Ugh. Dasha is no fun. For being so badass while punching and stuff, she sure is concerned with other people.  


I wish Burgerchainz was here. He’s out doing his van thing, picking up junk for people or whatever. I think it’s pretty neat that he helps the community or whatever, but I wish he was hanging out with me. For some reason, I get a lot more views when I stream with him. The public loves a crossover.  
I turn the stream off, in the middle of the battle.  


“Ugh, Dasha. You’re so bad at this. You haven’t even been talking to the audience. You gotta narrate.” She scoffs.  


“You haven’t been narrating either. Besides, isn’t it rude of you to turn off the stream in the middle of a battle? I’m sure your two viewers are very disappointed.” Well, that’s pretty rude of her.  


“Whatever. Vang0 Bang0. What do you want to talk about anyway? Some job thing?”  


Dasha can be pretty nice, but she’s not very good at relaxing. We get along a lot better when we’re with Burgerchainz, and in serious situations, like jobs and stuff. Really she’s only here because I needed to stream with another person. I was going to do it with Burger, but he’s busy, so I got Dasha to help in his place. I was hoping that it would raise my views, but it didn’t. You’d think Dasha would be good on camera, being a poser and all, but I guess not.  


“Well, we could talk about work, Vang0. Do you have any potential jobs?” Dasha and her money obsession. I guess I can’t blame her. She did used to be rich, I think. She doesn’t really talk about it.  


“Well, I don’t know. I guess I got some threats the other day. That might be kind of concerning.” Surprisingly, Dasha almost looks pleased.  


“Good job, Vang0. You’re making a name in the industry. People are starting to hear about you.”  


I’m not really convinced, but I didn’t want to talk about jobs in the first place. I just didn’t want to sit in silence.  


“Okay. Vang0 Bang0.” A second passes, and then she says,  


“You should really stop saying that. It’s not a good habit to have. For one thing, you might have to have a fake name on a job in the future. Also, it’s just kind of weird.” Well, that’s pretty rude of her. She doesn’t even know why I do it.  


I do a lot of stuff like this, saying my name and my sign and stuff. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it just kind of makes me feel better, to always have my name on the tip of my tongue. Besides, she doesn’t understand. My name is really awesome, and I would know. I invented it. Perks of having amnesia, I guess.  


Now, me and Dasha are just sitting here doing nothing, which kind of sucks. I’m pretty glad when we both get distracted by a few texts, from Burgerchainz.  


**Burgerchainz: Hey guys! I was told to text you guys, so hi! :)  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Hey, Burger. What’s going on?  
**

**Burgerchainz: Well I’m gonna be taking part in some sort of experiment, so I was told I could text you guys before it starts. I hope I don’t take longer to get back than I said I would.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: Um burger you good my dude? I mean this experiment is nothing bad is it???  
**

**Burgerchainz: Well I don’t know. I’m in an empty room right now, and kind of cold. Also, I was kinda tied up. They only untied me so I could text you guys. But I don’t really mind. I’m excited to help out in the name of science! :D  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: Burger???? What are they gonna do to you?! What kind of science is this, anyway?  
**

**Burgerchainz: I don’t really know, I guess. Well now this guy is coming with a big needle and saying I have to wrap it up, the surgery is starting soon. To be honest, he looks kind of scary. I guess I’ll see you guys soon! :)  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Burger, what’s going on?  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Burger?  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Hold on, we’re coming. Hang in there.**  


Dasha and I look at each other, alarmed. She stands up, and picks up her purse.  


“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I say, though I'm not sure. “I mean, he doesn’t seem really upset about it.” Dasha looks at me, seriously.  


“Vang0, you know how Burger is about this kind of stuff. He’d do anything to make a new friend, and he’s not exactly the smartest. I certainly hope that Burgerchainz is okay, but we really need to check in on him.” I’m not exactly in the mood to go do some investigative stuff, but I guess if I have to.  


I mean, I trust Burgerchainz. If he thinks he’s safe, I believe him. I kinda get what Dasha’s saying though. I mean, the place where he is sounds pretty sketchy. I’m just not in the mood right now. I mean, I wanted to just stream with Burger today. But no, he’s just gotta be all busy, and then get himself in a situation or whatever.  


“I’ll tell you what, Dasha. I’m just not really feeling up to it. Can I just stay at your apartment for this one?” Surprisingly, it seems like she’s actually considering it.  


“You know what, Vang0? You probably should stay here. We don’t really know what’s going on with this whole, thing, and we might need someone here in case Burger or someone else shows up”  


I reply, “Yeah, totally. I mean, obviously that’s what I’m talking about. You need someone here, to... look over the stuff.” Dasha gives me a look as she leaves the apartment.  


It’s kind of hard paying attention or whatever when you don’t really know what’s been going on with your friends for the past few hours. I mean, I’m trying to stream, but I have exactly zero viewers right now. It’s pretty weird just streaming in Dasha’s apartment, but it’s better than silence. I wonder what Dasha’s up to. I don’t regret not going with her, but still. It kind of reassures me when I get a text from Dasha. Kind of.  


**Dapper Dasha: Hey Vang0, I got an anonymous tip, on where Burger was and picked him up. I just wanted to let you know that we’re on our way back in a taxi.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: hey that’s great. So it was just a fluke. He’s okay.  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Well, that’s the thing.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: what.  
**

**Dapper Dasha: It’s kind of hard to explain.  
**

**Dapper Dasha: We’ll be back soon. I need you to steel yourself.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: Um what???  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Just… get ready. I’m really sorry.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: What the fuck? What’s going on???  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: DASHA??**  


So, I’m kind of hyperventilating. It’s a thing I do sometimes. Kind of embarrassing. What is going on with Burger? Is he okay or not? Dasha just…. makes me SO MAD. I mean, how am I supposed to steel myself, whatever that means. I don’t even know what’s going on. I’m just so, i don’t know. I can’t handle this. I don’t know what’s going on, and I can’t handle it.  


You have no idea the relief I feel when I see a taxi pull up in front of the apartment, and see Dasha and Burger get out. Burger seems okay, physically. I’m literally bouncing up and down with excitement. Or fear? I don’t know.  


Dasha walks in the door with Burgerchainz behind her, and she has this weird expression that I’ve never seen before. She looks apologetic, and almost...scared? I can’t deal with her right now. I push her out the way, and face Burgerchainz.  


“So, you’re okay right? Burger?” Burger also looks kind of weird.  


“Um, well, hi. Nice to see you again.” And he smiles a bit. I turn to Dasha, furious.  


“See, he’s fine. This was so not funny. What’s wrong with you? You’re such a jerk.”  


Dasha sighs and turns to face me head on. She looks me in the eyes, which is kind of weird. I hope she’s going to apologize, but she doesn’t.  


“Vang0, I wasn’t lying.” She sighs again. She looks exhausted. “Burger, tell him what’s wrong.” Again with that weird expression.  


Burger blushes a bit, and seems surprised to be called on. “Well, um, you see, what you have to know is… I have amnesia. I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are.” I totally can’t. I just can’t right now. He's got to be joking. But it's not funny. I leave the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy part 1/5!


	2. From All Who Have Loved Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dasha’s conversation with Vang0 lasts a long time, and they end up shouting a lot. I don’t want to eavesdrop, so I hide my face under a pillow. Dasha’s pillows are pretty cheap, though, so I get most of the yelling.  
> “WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I CAN’T STAY HERE WITH HIM. YOU KNOW WHAT I’M LIKE! I-I CAN’T HANDLE IT!” 
> 
> “Listen, Vang0, don’t you want to fix this? I know it’ll be hard for you, but you have to-” And then she starts talking in a way lower voice, and I don’t catch the rest of it. I don’t think I want to.  
> It makes me pretty sad that Vang0 doesn’t want to hang out with me, because Dasha says we were really close. I wonder if my personality is different than it used to be, and that’s why he doesn’t like me. I asked her this earlier, but she just got a weird expression and said I would have to ask him myself.

So, this nice lady is named Dasha, and let me tell you, she’s really nice. We didn’t really talk much on the way here, but she’s the one who first found me in a parking lot, and brought me here, to this warm apartment. She has nice eyes, I can tell.  


I have amnesia. I know my name is Burger, but only because that’s what this lady kept calling me. I don’t know much else, which is a bit embarrassing. I mean, my poor friends! The guy who was here when we arrived wasn’t very happy to see me, and he left the room, even though Dasha says he’s supposed to be my friend. I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings.  


“Say, um, do you think I should apologize to that guy who left? He seemed pretty upset.” Dasha sighs. She seems really tired. I can tell. “No, Burger, that’s just Vang0. He’s like that.” I tell myself that his name is Vang0. Vang0. “Pretty cool name.” I say, and smile.  


Dasha looks at me likes she’s realizing something, and then says, “Yeah... listen, there’s a lot of stuff that I need to explain, before I-well.” And then she starts talking a lot. It’s pretty hard to remember it all, but I try. So apparently the three of us, Dasha, Vang0 and I, are buddies. We solve crimes and punch stuff together. And I live in a van. She gets sort of a pained expression when she mentions that. I wonder where the van is.  


Once Dasha has been talking for a really long time, she starts asking me questions. I tell her about how I woke up in a hospital, with a mean doctor and nurse. They told me that someone was coming for me, so I followed them into the car. Then they drove for a while, and left me in a random parking lot. I waited there for a while, until Dasha showed up.  


Dasha doesn’t seem totally pleased with my explanation. She wants to know everything. How long the drive was, the licence plate of the car, what exactly the doctors looked like. But the thing is, I was kind of tired at the time, and I’m not too good at remembering things. I tell her this, and she sighs.  


“Sorry about all the questions, Burger. I just...really want to figure this one out. I’m going outside to talk to Vang0. You stay here.” I smile wide, and she smiles a little. It’s nice that I can get her to do that because she doesn’t seem to be in the best mood. “Okay!”  


Dasha’s conversation with Vang0 lasts a long time, and they end up shouting a lot. I don’t want to eavesdrop, so I hide my face under a pillow. Dasha’s pillows are pretty cheap, though, so I get most of the yelling.  


“WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I CAN’T STAY HERE WITH HIM. YOU KNOW WHAT I’M LIKE! I-I CAN’T HANDLE IT!” 

“Listen, Vang0, don’t you want to fix this? I know it’ll be hard for you, but you have to-” 

And then she starts talking in a way quieter voice, and I don’t catch the rest of it. I don’t think I want to.  


It makes me pretty sad that Vang0 doesn’t want to hang out with me, because Dasha says we were really close. I wonder if my personality is different than it used to be, and that’s why he doesn’t like me. I asked her this earlier, but she just got a weird expression and said I would have to ask him myself.  


Anyway, Vang0 seems really opposed to staying with me, but I guess Dasha was able to convince him somehow. She left to go do something, and now it’s just the two of us. Vang0 looks at me, suspiciously. “So...what did Dasha tell you?” I smile, because I know this one! 

“Well, she told me lots of stuff! I’m Burger, you’re Vang0, she’s Dasha. We fight crime and stuff, and we have lots of friends! Like Hypo, C4A-” But he cuts me off.  


“Did Dasha...tell you about any of these people? Like, how we know them? Did she tell you anything about me? About you? Other than like, our names and the basics and stuff?” I shake my head and he groans “Of course she didn’t! Let me tell you the real details…” And then he launches into this really in-depth story about drugs or something. I hate to be rude and cut him off, but it’s kind of confusing. 

“Wait, so where were we?” “How do we know him?” “What did you do?”  


Which each question, Vang0 gets more and more upset. “You’re supposed to know this stuff! Ugh. Whatever. Vang0 Bang0.” And he holds up this cool sign. Hoping to make him feel better, I say, “I like that sign, and I didn’t know your full name was Vang0 Bang0.” This really gets him mad for some reason. “Well, you should. It’s my name, I picked it out, and- I just-” he sighs. “I can’t with you. I’m too smart for this. Wanna stream?” I nod. Anything to make him feel better.  


So we’re streaming this game I guess, I think we’re supposed to be talking to the audience or something, but we’re not really doing that. Vang0 manages to snipe someone, and I smile. “Nice shot, Vang0. You’re pretty good at this.” He looks disconcerted. “Uh, thanks, Burger. Whatever. Could you just.. Stop with the compliments?” It hurts my feelings, but I agree. “Oh. um, okie dokie.”  


We play in silence for the next few minutes, until Vang0 gets a message from the stream chat. “I usually like watching you guys, but it’s not very fun this time. I mean, you aren’t even talking. And Burger seems to be acting weird. I mean, he’s my favorite part of these streams, anyway.” At this, Vang0 seems to get really mad, and he turns off the stream.  


He turns around to look at me, and he’s really seething. “Listen. Burger. I know it’s hard. I get it, okay?” He doesn’t sound like he gets it. “But for the love of god, can’t you just...try? Try to remember. Try to act like you usually do. I- I miss you. I miss being able to talk about stuff and not having things be different, or having to explain a bunch of stuff to you. Just...can you try harder?”  


I feel a lump in my throat. I don’t think he meant to, but he really hurt my feelings. I say, quietly. “I am trying. You’re not being very nice about it. We’re supposed to be friends, but it’s not my fault I don’t know everything. Do you always act like this? Because it’s not very kind. You don’t understand what it’s like.” Vang0 looks at me funny, and I think I see his eyes water a bit. “Vang0 Bang0.” And he throws up his sign and tries to leave the room.  


I stand up, and don’t let him. “Listen, don’t leave, please. Dasha said you need to stay here.” He gives me an angry look. I think that he knows he can’t get past me, but he’s going to try. Just as he looks like he’s going to say something, his agent buzzes.  


I used to have an agent, according to Dasha. But when she picked me up, I didn’t have it with me. She says she’ll get me a new one, but for now, Vang0 just shows me his wrist.  


**Dapper Dasha: How are you guys doing?  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: um not very good. Please come back soon.  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Sorry, no can do. It took me a while, but I think I found the hospital where it happened.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: Well that’s good I guess  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Yeah, Burger’s van is parked a couple of blocks away. I don’t have time to get it back to the apartment, but if I send you the location, could you two come get it?  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: UGGHHH  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: I guess so.  
**

**_Dapper Dasha has shared their location with you_**  


I try to smile. “Dasha told me I drove a van. I’m so excited to see it! And to spend more time with you!” Vang0 rolls his eyes. “Come on. Let’s catch a taxi, I guess. Vang0 Bang0.”  


Later on in the taxi, we’re not talking. But when we pass this warehouse, Vang0’s eyes, get really big, He starts breathing a bit faster, and his knee is jumping up and down. Huh. I pat him on the back. “Hey. You okay?”  


Vang0 looks at me and sighs. “Well. I guess I really have to tell you, huh?” He takes a deep breath. “Well, the thing is… I have amnesia also. Like you. I can’t remember anything earlier than a few years ago.” I stare at him. I guess that explains a lot.  


“Listen, Burger. I.. I don’t want this for you. It’s hard, you know?” I nod. “I guess you have me and Dasha, which is well- better than nothing, but I mean, what am I even supposed to do? Or say? To be honest, you always helped me with this sort or stuff.”  


The taxi driver drops us off, and we start walking towards the van. I don’t even say anything. I’m listening as Vang0 opens up the back of the van and we sit inside. “Burgerchainz, you mean a lot to me, you know? I- when I got amnesia, you were basically my first friend. You were always helping me, checking if I was okay, listening to my rants… I just- well, I don’t know how to do that for you. I don’t know how to do that, and deal with my own feelings at the same time. I’m sorry.” I smile a bit. 

“It’s okay. I get it, Vang0.” Vang0 smiles a bit back at me. 

“Nobody ever understood what it was like to be me and have amnesia before, not even you. But I guess you do now.” He hugs me, and leans in close, and I smile fully. 

“Yeah. I guess I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope you enjoyed! Sorry about the angst. >:)


	3. And of All I Have Ever Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie laughs, and she winks at me, awkwardly. Which is weird. “Yeah, that’s totally fine. All is forgiven. Anyway, I’d love to catch up sometime..” 
> 
> She’s twirling her fingers around her hair, and her voice is getting a bit shrill. I know what she’s talking about, and I back up further. I’m getting a bad feeling.  
> I have the urge to leave, but then I remember Burgerchainz. I have to do something hard. I reach into my pocket, and take out 50 cred. 
> 
> I slap it onto the counter, along with a picture of Burgerchainz. 
> 
> “Charlie, I’m going to be honest with you, and I want you to be honest with me. What happened to this man?” Charlie makes a sort of weird motion with her hand, and I feel movement behind me. 
> 
> “What are you-” But too late, I feel a syringe go into the back of my neck.

I’m leaning against the wall, watching people coming in and out of the hospital, when my agent buzzes. I try to ignore it, but it just keeps going, and going and going. I’m trying to just casually blend in and be quiet, but I guess Vang0 Bang0 has a lot to say.  


**Vang0 Bang0: hey dasha we got the van and we’re back at ur apartment  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: we’re just vibing  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: wait hold on burger wants to say something  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: Hey Dasha! I hope you’re being safe while investigating, and I look forwards to seeing you again :) (this is burgerchainz)  
**

**Dapper Dasha: Hey guys, good to hear that you’re getting along. Please stop texting me, though. I’m trying to avoid being noticed.  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: Okay! Will do!  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: (this is burgerchainz)  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: hey it’s me vang0 bang0 again ✌️🅱️  
**

**Vang0 Bang0: will do dasha, good luck  
**

**Dapper Dasha: okay now please stop texting me before someone notices me for the love of god.**  


But it’s too late. Someone notices me and asks me to step inside the hospital, or leave. No loitering. Fuck. I could ignore his request, but I was going to have to go in the hospital anyway. As I’m stepping inside, I’m trying to keep my cool.  


It’s not that I’m not happy that Vang0 and Burger are getting along. I just have bigger fish to worry about right now. The thrill of a job always gives me some happiness, but this time it’s different. It’s personal. I’m not getting paid for this job, but I do get happiness from it.  


Ever since I got that text from Burgerchainz, I haven’t been able to relax. Seeing him tired and scared and confused, it was like nothing else. I won’t rest until I find out what happened to Burgerchainz, and how to fix it. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve been searching, planning, and waiting for hours. I have to fix this. I have to.  


I step inside the hospital, and am struck by how dark it is, and damp. The paint on the walls is peeling, and the whole place has a nasty smell. This isn’t like Hypo’s clinic. This place is obviously underfunded. I’m clearly overdressed for the occasion, which is saying something. I mean, I make an effort to blend in most of the time.  


I’ve been standing here too long. I need to do something. I walk up to the nearest person, a short nurse holding a clipboard, with sandy blond hair. His name tag says Kiwi. He looks me up and down, and something seems to light up in his eyes. 

“Ah, you have an appointment.” I don’t have an appointment, but I’ll take any excuse to be here, get information, and hopefully find out what’s going on.  


“Come with me, I’ll bring you to the doctor.” As I follow Kiwi up the stairs, I notice that his uniform is much better than the other nurses that I've seen. When we enter the neuroscience wing of the hospital, I notice it’s very neat and clean, much more so than the ground level. There's hardly any grime at all. I notice a sign that says bathroom, security room, rooms 205-250----->  


“Um, excuse me,” I say in a voice that I hope manages to be both friendly and professional. “I need to go to the ladies room.” He nods, frowning, and I make my way down the hallway. When he turns around, I slide into the security room. Lucky for me, it’s empty.  


I creep onto the computer and find the security footage from outside the hospital, this morning. Burgerchainz arrived at the hospital, in a car I don’t recognize. Kiwi was driving. 

“Ya know, I’m just so happy to help out the scientific community,” Burger commented, stepping towards the hospital. 

“We really appreciate it,” Kiwi said, smiling, and I notice a syringe behind his back. I know what's going to happen a second before it does. Burger turns away from Kiwi to face the hospital, and is unconscious within seconds. Oh. My. God. This wasn't an accident.  


I can’t stay. I mean, obviously I have to, but this is more dangerous than I thought. Knowing what I know about Burgerchainz, and from the info i’ve gotten I’m starting to put a story together.  


From what I can figure, Burger was on the job when Kiwi approached him, asking him to participate in some sort of scientific experiment. Burger got into the car with little to no suspicions, and rode to this hospital, before being knocked out.  


Once there, he went under some sort of surgery, which seems to have removed his memory, but not before texting Vang0 and I. This part confuses me. Why would Kiwi let Burger text us, especially when he had been tied up before> This whole thing confuses me. There’s something going on here, and I need to figure it out.  


I make my way out of the security room, and to the front desk, and to the front desk of the neuroscience wing. When I see the head doctor, I am absolutely gobsmacked. It’s Charlie. Charlie Coal. It takes her a second, but she sees me and recognizes me too. I think I see her jaw come open a bit.  


I am taken back to ten years ago, when I was rich, living the high life as the heiress of one of Night City’s richest families. Charlie was my best friend, though we didn’t know each other that well. When you’re rich, you spend all your life with the same hundred people, but you never really know them. Anyway, I remember the night of my sweet sixteenth. A blur of alcohol, drugs, and big dresses. At the end of the night, I kissed her.  


That night got both of us kicked out of high society. I was so busy focusing on getting money and clawing my way back up, I never stopped to wonder whatever happened to Charlie. I guess she became a neurosurgeon.  


“Um, hi.” I say, trying to act normal. “I believe I’m here for an appointment.” She gives me a big smile “Dasha! So great to see you!” So much for pretending we don’t know each other. I give a fake smile. “Charlie! How...nice to see you.”  


She acts like she’s about to hug me from behind the desk, so I take a step back. I try to act casual. “So, you have a job as a neurosurgeon now? Nice. I always wondered what happened to you, but it’s nice to see that you’ve made something of yourself. I always felt so bad about...well, what happened.”  


Charlie laughs, and she winks at me, awkwardly. Which is weird. 

“Yeah, that’s totally fine. All is forgiven. Anyway, I’d love to catch up sometime..” She’s twirling her fingers around her hair, and her voice is getting a bit shrill. I know what she’s talking about, and I back up further. I’m getting a bad feeling.  


I have the urge to leave, but then I remember Burgerchainz. I have to do something hard. I reach into my pocket, and take out 50 cred. I slap it onto the counter, along with a picture of Burgerchainz. 

“Charlie, I’m going to be honest with you, and I want you to be honest with me. What happened to this man?” Charlie makes a sort of weird motion with her hand, and I feel movement behind me. 

“What are you-” But too late, I feel a syringe go into the back of my neck.  


I wake up in a blank room, and my arms are tied. How could I have been so stupid? I sit there for a few minutes, stewing in my own anger, before Charlie enters the room. She looks...almost sorry. I might be able to work with this. 

“Why...are you doing this?” I ask, slowly and cautiously. She pauses. 

“Well, it’s a long story.” I cross my arms over my chest, as best I can with them tied. 

“I have all the time in the world.”  


“Well, I’m a doctor here. Obviously, you know. I specialize in memory. And, well, I want to change the world. Help people with memory problems, that kind of stuff.” I nod.  


“Okay? So how does that equate to giving people amnesia?” She rolls her eyes. 

“Give it a minute, Dasha. I’m getting to it. Anyway, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re not exactly well funded. So, a couple of weeks ago, I get this email. It says I can have a huge grant. And I mean huge. It would help me get so far in my research, and help so many people.” She pauses.  


“But, there was a catch. In exchange for the money, I would have to find some way to remove the memory of three people.” She gestures to me. “You three. I mean I didn’t even know it was you, I thought it was a different Dasha. I wouldn’t-” and then she trails off. She’s blushing, and it’s almost a bit cute.  


I try to keep my cool. “I get it Charlie. I really do. I mean, all the people you could help…” I don’t think it makes up for ruining people’s lives, but who am I to judge? I’d do pretty much anything for 100 bucks. 

“Yeah….” She’s blushing again. I had forgotten that she always did that. 

“Listen Dasha. I don’t...really want to do this to you. But the thing is, I already told Kiwi about it. I agreed to give him a cut of the money. I mean, he has a family. I- I can’t let him down. I’m not like you. I can’t fight people. I can’t fight Kiwi.”  


I'm slightly scandalized. I mean, she values some money more than my own identity? But, I feel a wave of confidence. I know that if I can just think, I can get myself out of this. It’s not too bad, talking to Charlie again after all these years.  


She tosses me my agent. I hadn’t even realized it was missing off of my wrist. 

“You can, uh, talk to your friends for a bit, if you like.” She unties my hands. 

I smile at her a bit. “Yeah, I probably will. First, though, can we just talk for a while longer?” She smiles back, and blushes again. 

“I was thinking the same thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like chapter 3/5! Have a great day! (Sorry about the angst, and I hope you like my new characters!)


	4. Don't Leave Me Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hold up, where are you going? Stay with me.” I shake my head. 
> 
> “Come on. We have to go get Dasha. You aren’t seriously going to wait, are you?” 
> 
> Burger nods, and I sigh. “Come on, seriously? You may not know how it is anymore, but Dasha never asks for help. And I’m not just going to sit here waiting while god-knows-what happens to her. I think we both know what might happen to her, but neither of us will say it.
> 
> “Vang0, please. We just need to trust Dasha.” I pull away from him. 
> 
> “Oh, you’re one to say that. You- you don’t even...and-” I take a deep breath. “I’ve already lost myself. I lost you,” I avoid his eye contact, “But I’m not losing Dasha.”

**_Dapper Dasha has shared their location with you_ **

**Dapper Dasha: Hey guys, I’m going to need you to come to that location in a couple, maybe three hours. Bring as much money as you can.**

**Vang0 Bang0: uh okay what’s going on**

**Dapper Dasha: You’re going to need to pick me up. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be fine.**

**Vang0 Bang0: ACCORDING TO PLAN???**

**Dapper Dasha: I love you guys.**

So, I may or may not be doing the whole hyperventilation thing again. It’s a bit better, though, because Burger is here. We’re sitting in his van, parked outside Dasha’s apartment, just watching the moon. He pats my knee, which is something he’s done in the past to comfort me. It’s pretty crazy how he just knows what works, even if he doesn’t consciously remember it. It kind of makes me wonder about my own habits. 

I can’t speak, though. I lift up my agent to show Burger, and his eye grows three sizes. “Oh no,” he says softly, and he doesn’t really say much else. I mean, I can’t blame him, I guess. I mean, by his perspective, he just met this lady, and now she’s in some sort of trouble or something. If I were him, I wouldn’t know how to feel, either. When I look close, though, it almost looks like his eyes are watering. 

I sure as heck know how to feel, and it’s terrible. Wait for three hours? Yeah, like I’m doing that. Do you know what happened last time Dasha left me to wait for a bit? Um, spoiler alert, but it did NOT end well. 

I’m not stupid. I know what Dasha was investigating, and I know what’s probably going to happen to her. Just thinking about it makes my head spin, and I think I might throw up. I stand up, and Burger grabs my hand. 

“Hold up, where are you going? Stay with me.” I shake my head. 

“Come on. We have to go get Dasha. You aren’t seriously going to wait, are you?” 

Burger nods, and I sigh. “Come on, seriously? You may not know how it is anymore, but Dasha never asks for help. And I’m not just going to sit here waiting while god-knows-what happens to her. I think we both know what might happen to her, but neither of us will say it. 

“Vang0, please. We just need to trust Dasha.” I pull away from him. 

“Oh, you’re one to say that. You- you don’t even...and-” I take a deep breath. “I’ve already lost myself. I lost you,” I avoid his eye contact, “But I’m not losing Dasha.” 

Burger looks at me a bit weird. He’s full-on crying, and not even trying to hide it. 

“Vang0...you didn’t lose me. I’m right here. I may not have my memories, but I’m right here, you know? I want to help you, anyway I can. Right now, though, we need to trust Dasha. She knows what she’s doing. If we come early, it might spoil her plan.” 

I don’t say anything, because I’m just stunned. 

“I-wow, Burgerchainz. Thanks, I guess.” He smiles a bit. 

“While we’re waiting, can you tell me some more stories about us?” Instead, I kiss him. And he kisses me back. It’s pretty epic. 

Three hours later, we arrive at this hospital, after taking a few wrong turns on the way there. As it turns out, Burger doesn’t remember the layout of Night City. We’re about twenty minutes late when we arrive. So, um, oops. 

The whole ride here, it was hard to focus. Burger was trying to drive, and I was trying to navigate, but we kept staring glances at each other. Is he my boyfriend now? I don’t know. I think about labels and stuff a lot, maybe because of my amnesia. It’s easy for me to categorize stuff. I feel like Burger isn’t as into the whole labels thing, though. 

So I mean, that kind of sucks. What if he doesn’t want to kiss me again? I might be overthinking this, but that’s kind of what I do. I actually kind of didn’t mean to kiss him, but it was just a last-minute thing. I should do spontaneous stuff more often. It makes for good content, after all. 

Burger opens up the back of the van, and I guess we’re just lying there, waiting for whoever’s coming. The sun is starting to come up, and it looks pretty rad. I take out my agent and start streaming. 

“Hey, guys, Vang0 Bang0 here, at golden hour! Well, it’s the morning, and that’s pretty cool. Anyway, I’m here with Burgerchainz.” Burger waves at the camera. I think he’s still a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera, or maybe just tired. 

“So, yeah. I’m here with Burgerchainz, and it’s kind of been a crazy day. I mean, today and yesterday. So, first I was streaming with Dasha for a bit...you know how it is.” And I launch into a pretty in-depth explanation of what’s been happening. Leaving some stuff, out of course. 

As I’m streaming, Burger keeps patting me on the back, and it’s kind of nice. I guess I was too caught up in the streaming, though, because now he’s saying my name. 

“Vang0. Vang0. There’s a person here.” Oops. I turn off the stream, right after saying a quick goodbye. 

“Well, see you, chat! Talk to you later!” I look up just in time to see a lady walk towards us. She’s tall, almost as tall as Dasha, and she’s walking really fast for a lady in heels. She looks kind of stressed as she comes up to the van. 

Burger sits up, “Well, uh hi there. What can I do you for? Do I know you?” 

I narrow my eyes and say, “No, we don’t know her.” I can see that she’s wearing a doctor’s coat, and I put two and two together. 

“Dasha sent me. Do you have the money?” I squint at her. I’ve never seen this lady in my life, but I guess I trust Dasha. I take out the bundle of 500 cred stored in the glove box of the van, and cautiously hand it over. She takes it, and quickly stashes it in her coat, and then turns around and looks behind her. 

I see a guy coming, and he’s holding Dasha, who’s unconscious. He says she has amnesia. I’ve never seen her like this before. She said she would be okay. She promised. But she's not. The hyperventilating thing. It’s happened again. I might throw up. 

Burger stands up and pulls himself up so that he looks really intimidating. He runs over and takes Dasha, and I think I hear him curse. He sets her down gently in the van and then turns around to face the man. I think he’s about to beat him up. 

All I can see is Dasha, unconscious, and I can’t handle it. There’s no room to leave, so I do the next best thing. I run away. 

I’m not very good or fast at running, but I should run until I can’t see the hospital anymore. I find myself in a dark alleyway. Normally when I don’t know what to do, I start streaming, but I can’t really let my followers see me like this. I think I’ll just stay here, for a while. I cry for a bit. It’s nice, but also absolutely terrible. 

After a while, I get up. It feels like it’s been hours, but according to my agent, it’s only been 30 minutes. I make my way to the hospital, and I see that the van is still in the parking lot, closed. I don’t really know what I’m going to do when I get there. Dasha always knows what to do, but I’m not stupid. 

I’m trying to be sneaky, but I guess I’m not doing a very good job. The van door swings open, and I see Burger, the lady from before, and Dasha. I guess she’s awake. Nope. I can’t deal with this. I immediately turn around to leave. But before I get too far, I feel arms around me, hugging me. It’s Dasha. 

I turn around and hear Burger say, “C’mon, Vang0! You gotta meet our new friend here!” I’m literally shaking. Dasha looks at me, and motions quietly. 

“Can we talk?” 

I meet her on the other side of the van and say, “Now, I know you must be feeling really confused right now, but, um, don’t worry. I’m Vang0 Bang0, and-” But she cuts me off. 

“Vang0, I don’t have amnesia.” Oh. Well, now I feel dumb. I wipe away a tear. I've already cried too much today. 

Dasha tells me what happened, and ordinarily, I would feel super embarrassed. Today, I just feel an overwhelming sense of relief as she explains what happened. So, I guess the doctor lady is actually nice, and didn’t do surgery on her after all, but paid off some dude with the money so that he’d think she did it. 

“Wait, so this is the same lady who gave Burger amnesia?” 

“Well, yeah. But you have to understand, Vang0-” I almost storm away, but decide against it. 

“Listen, Vang0, why don’t we just talk about it with her.” Reluctantly, I let her walk me to the lady. 

“Hi, I’m Charlie. And Vang0, the first thing you have to know is that I can fix Burger’s amnesia.” 

Burger perks up from a couple feet away, and starts asking her all sorts of questions about the surgery, and different stuff. I squint at her. This can’t be real. I’m not falling for this, and I’m not getting my hopes up. 

I interrupt them. “So...Charlie. How do we know we can trust you?” Charlie blushes looks at Dasha, and gives a little grin. To my surprise, Dasha smiles back and leans in for a kiss. Well. That’ll do for an answer. 

Burger grabs my hand and takes me behind the van. 

“Wow, Burger. I can’t believe you’re going to be able to remember all about me and stuff.” A voice inside me wonders if Burger will still like me, will still want to kiss me. I wonder if Burger’s thinking the same thing because he frowns a bit. 

He says something different, though. “I asked Charlie, and she says she can’t reverse your amnesia. It’s a different type. A natural type.” He’s tracing his fingers along his chin when the metal meets his skin. 

“Oh.” A few days ago, I would’ve been devastated. And I still might be, if given time to process the information. But for now, I’m just happy to be getting Burger back. 

But I have to say something. “Burger, do you think you’ll like me...as much when you have your memory back?” He narrows his eye in thought. I can tell he knows what I’m talking about. 

“You know what, Vang0? I’m absolutely sure I will. I can’t wait to remember you again.” I smile and pull my hair behind my ear. 

“Promise?” 

“You betcha.”And then he kisses me. It's even better the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second to last chapter, so I hope you've liked the series! Writing it made me really happy. Thanks for reading. :)


	5. Clean Slated State

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can I go see him?”
> 
> “Well, it is the middle of the night. Dasha’s sleeping, and he’s probably also-” But I know Vang0 well enough. He’s probably pacing the apartment. 
> 
> We go upstairs, and sure enough, Vang0 opens the door within a second of us knocking. He kind of collapses onto me in a half-hug, then realizes what he’s doing and stands up immediately. We walk in and sit on the couch. Vang0 sits next to me, and leans against me. He seems like he’s struggling not to lie down. 
> 
> His hair is pulled up with a green scrunchie, and there are deep bags under his eyes. He’s holding a monster energy drink. I try to repress a smile. 
> 
> “Vang0, did you sleep at all?” 
> 
> “That’s not important. Did it work? Did it? Did it?”

My eye blinks open and I wake up. I’m looking at the stars, and they’re beautiful. I’m lying on a mattress in the back of my van, which is kind of weird because there didn’t used to be a mattress there. 

I kind of like it, though. It’s cozy, and warm. I might keep it. It’d be nice for having sleepovers. That gives me the thought of a sleepover, with Vang0 and Dasha, and maybe Charlie too. I notice that the van is parked outside Dasha’s apartment. 

I sit up a bit, and notice that there is a long scar with stitches running past my forehead and through my scalp. It runs through my hair, and it looks pretty cool. It’s the kind of thing that Vang0 would do to his hair on purpose. I don’t know how I got here. 

It’s not an amnesia thing, though, and I’m thankful for that. It’s just that the last thing I remember was getting ready for surgery at the hospital. The surgery. It worked! My face breaks into a smile. 

“Wow.” I comment out loud, and hear something rustle. I turn around, and see that Charlie is sitting in the front seat of the van, and Dasha is in the passenger’s seat, lying her head on Charlie’s shoulder. 

I must’ve woken Charlie up, because she gets up out of her seat. Dasha head falls down without any Charlie to hold it up, and she mutters, tiredly. 

“Hey...stop it..” Charlie walks around the van, and opens the trunk to look at me. I smile again. Well, I continue to smile. I never really stopped. 

“So you’re awake. And you remember everything?” I nod, and she starts smiling too. It’s really a smiley sort of time. 

I have to perform a few simple tests to prove that I’m okay, like saying the abc’s and singing songs. Turns out, Charlie’s pretty good at making harmonies. We kind of make a little game of it. 

After a couple minutes she sits down beside me and says “you’re good to go.” I can’t resist hugging her, and she hugs me back. Vang0 and Dasha aren’t really huggy people, so it’s kind of nice. She whispers something in my ear. 

“I’m so sorry about all of this.” But I just pat her on the back. 

“Are you kidding? It all turned out all right in the end, and I got a new friend out of it!” She sighs, and I can tell she doesn’t really accept it. That’s okay, though. I’m happy with how things turned out. Well, mostly. There’s just one last thing. 

“Where’s Vang0?” 

“He slept in Dasha’s apartment. He kept trying to wake you, even though we told him that you needed rest.” I think about how I kissed Vang0, and he kissed me. When I think about it, it fills up my insides with warmth. I was never brave enough to do that before. 

“Can I go see him?” 

“Well, it is the middle of the night. Dasha’s sleeping, and he’s probably also-” But I know Vang0 well enough. He’s probably pacing the apartment. 

We go upstairs, and sure enough, Vang0 opens the door within a second of us knocking. He kind of collapses onto me in a half-hug, then realizes what he’s doing and stands up immediately. We walk in and sit on the couch. Vang0 sits next to me, and leans against me. He seems like he’s struggling not to lie down. 

His hair is pulled up with a green scrunchie, and there are deep bags under his eyes. He’s holding a monster energy drink. I try to repress a smile. 

“Vang0, did you sleep at all?” 

“That’s not important. Did it work? Did it? Did it?” 

I smile and say “Yes.” And Vang0 eyes widen in joy. 

“Burger-” At that exact moment, Dasha bursts through the door. 

“Burger! You’re okay, right?” Charlie nods at her, and motions towards the two of us. Dasha wipes away a tear. I beam at her and turn to face Vang0. 

“I don’t know how you deal with that. The whole having amnesia thing? It’s kind of awful.” Vang0 puts his arm around me. He smells like fresh-cut grass and chocolate. 

“It’s a lot easier with you here.” And then he kisses me. Again! The feeling reminds me of eating a loaf of bread. It’s warm and leaves me feeling satisfied. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Charlie smiling slyly. Dasha passes her 10 cred, and rolls her eyes. I can tell she’s happy, though. 

After about thirty seconds, Dasha clears her throat. Vang0 pulls away from me, and sits up straight on the sofa. He looks at me from the corner of his eye and raises an eyebrow, and then we both start laughing. 

Dasha speaks over us. “While it’s really great that Burger has his memory back, we need to be cautious. Remember, someone tried to bribe Charlie into giving all of us amnesia. At this Charlie blushes. 

“Yeah. I quit being sponsored, but I was able to get some great research done on memory, and the brain. One day…” She goes quiet and looks at Vang0. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but I could change so many people’s lives.” This is the best day ever. 

Vango smiles, but I can tell he’s really tired. The four of us hang out and play some video games, but it is the middle of the night, and it doesn’t take long for Vang0 and Charlie to drift to sleep. The room quiets. 

“You really mean a lot to me, you know. I’m really glad you’re back, Burger.” Dasha seems to be trying to keep a casual tone of voice, but I can tell she’s struggling to speak. I stand up, walk across the room, and hug her. 

“You handled it so well, Dasha. You’re so super.” 

“Stop it, Burger. I’m going to cry. But thank you. I do try my best” She laughs in a shaky voice. “Now come on. Do you want to play some more? I think I’m finally starting to understand what Vang0 sees in this video game thing.” 

A couple days later, the four of us are hanging out at the beach. The sun is pretty high up in the sky, and my sleep schedule is finally fixed after playing super smash brothers with Dasha until dawn. Dasha is lying on a beach towel and trying to tan, and Charlie is reading a book. 

Vang0 pulls out his agent, and whispers to me, “This is gonna get me so much clout.” and then he starts streaming. “Hey guys, Vang0 Bang0 here. I have some great news, and you guys aren’t gonna believe it…I have a boyfriend!” I wave at the camera as Vang0 kisses me on the cheek, but am distracted by Charlie motioning for me to come with her. 

“Hey chat, I’ll be right back!” And I follow her to the picnic basket, where she pulls out something big, with a lot of fabric. 

“Oh my god. Charlie...is this a quilt?” She smiles and hugs me. 

“Yes! Well, I didn’t make it myself, but look!” She unfolds it, and it’s a giant picture of the three of us. She must’ve taken a picture when we were gaming. We’re on the couch, and Vang0 is leaning on me and looking absolutely exhausted. Dasha looks determined as usual. I’m just beaming, both on the quilt and in real life. 

I know the other two of them will hate it. Vang0 looks absolutely exhausted, and Dasha hates having her face presented. And it definitely will be presented, where I’ll be putting it. 

I go to my van, and Charlie helps me tie the top of it to those hook things on the top of the van, and the bottom. At the end, what’s left is a quilt stretched across the middle of the van. When I drive, there will just be a blur of the three of us streaking across the street. 

She smiles, and laughs. “It looks terrible. I love it.” 

As we walk back to the two of them, I just think about how much I love these people. And as Vang0 tells all his followers about how much he loves me, and as Charlie reads Winona Ryder’s biography to a smiling Dasha taking a well-deserved rest, I am filled with joy. I really just can’t stop smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! This chapter was mostly happy, because I thought the gang deserved a bit a happiness after all they've been through. Also, I couldn't find a way to put this in the story, but I see this chapter as taking place a couple weeks after the last one. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you liked that story! There are five parts, and I'll try to make the time between uploads short. I'm really sorry for the angst, but I hope you like it! :)


End file.
